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2026 Highest Paid General Legal Studies Grads in the Great Lakes Region

[General Legal Studies](/majors/legal-studies-and-professions/general-legal-studies/) graduates earn very different salaries depending on where they study. The schools below stand out for the salaries their general legal studies graduates go on to command.

To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 3 schools on the early-career earnings of their general legal studies graduates.

What’s on this page:

• Highest Paid General Legal Studies Grads in the Great Lakes Region

2026 Highest Paid General Legal Studies Grads in the Great Lakes Region

Below are the schools whose general legal studies graduates go on to earn the most.

Highest Paid General Legal Studies Graduates

1

Central Michigan University
Mount Pleasant, MI

$69,066 Average Early-Career Salary

For graduate earnings in general legal studies, no school beat Central Michigan University this year. Located in the town of Mount Pleasant, Central Michigan University is a public institution. After graduating, general legal studies degree recipients from Central Michigan University typically earn about $69,066 annually.

2

University Of Wisconsin Madison
Madison, WI

$65,938 Average Early-Career Salary

University Of Wisconsin Madison came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying general legal studies schools. Set in the city of Madison, University Of Wisconsin Madison is a public institution. Early-career general legal studies graduates from University Of Wisconsin Madison make a median of around $65,938 per year.

3

Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI

$63,933 Average Early-Career Salary

Michigan State University came in at #3 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying general legal studies schools. Located in the city of East Lansing, Michigan State University is a public institution. After graduating, general legal studies degree recipients from Michigan State University typically earn about $63,933 annually.

View All General Legal Studies Rankings >

Notes and References

This list is compiled by College Factual, 2026 edition. The methodology measures the salaries general legal studies graduates go on to earn early in their careers, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard field-of-study earnings and IPEDS).

Ranking method: College Major Earnings · 3 schools evaluated.

*Salary figures reflect median early-career earnings (about 5 years after graduation) and may vary by how long a person takes to complete their degree.

• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
• Graduate earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard) field-of-study earnings.

More about our data sources and methodologies.